If kids and parents are the judges, Crystal Mountain in Northwest Michigan is often the winner of the award for being a fun and active place where families can gather, bond, recreate, rejuvenate, relax, and play tremendous golf every spring, summer, and fall.
The Benzie County region is renowned for its extensive list of outdoor activities. Then, when you add in golf – whether playing for fun or some competition, or practicing and taking lessons – Crystal Mountain makes an excellent location for the next vacation or business gathering.
“There’s a lot going on, especially for families,” said new director of golf, Mark Fenech. “You can never be bored here. Crystal has so many things to do that once you’re on the property, you’re good to go. It’s a great base to go out to Sleeping Bear Dunes and touch Lake Michigan, there’s swimming, or just hanging out in this beautiful area. There’s great canoeing and kayaking, fishing. This is a perfect home base for all those things.”
The Mountain Ridge course is rated a top 100 layout in Michigan. This June will be the 23rd consecutive year hosting the Michigan Women’s Open, which draws the top amateurs, plus pros from all across the U.S. working on their game to try reaching the LPGA Tour. Others already made that Tour. Over the years many up-and-coming tour pros, plus a couple of Michigan’s best amateurs, have won the title.
“The Crystal Mountain team consistently goes above and beyond to make the week special for the players, pro-am participants, volunteers and our staff,” said Kevin Helm, executive director of the Michigan PGA Section. “In addition to players from Michigan, we have players from across the country who come back year after year because they are treated so well. The resort is a huge part of that, but many players also enjoy the opportunity to experience the beauty and everything that Northern Michigan has to offer while competing in the Michigan Women’s Open.”
Translation: what Crystal Mountain does for them, they will do for you. At least that is what my family experienced for over 10 consecutive years, making it our annual spot. In a recent conversation with my now-adult daughter, she reiterated that Crystal Mountain holds many of her favorite family memories.
Mountain Ridge has always been a treat to play. It starts out below the mountain, winding its way through woods and water features for the first 15 holes. Then a trek up the mountain is in order. On the long, winding journey from 15 green to the 16th tee near the top, make sure to stop for a couple of minutes at the scenic overlook along the cart path, or again at the 17th tee. Both locations feature nothing but tens of thousands of trees as far as you can see toward Lake Michigan, about 15 miles away – trees that paint a very colorful tapestry during their fall peak of early to mid-October. Hole 17 is a severely downhill par 3 that tests all players, before the par five 18th drifts and twists downhill for one of the best finishing holes you’ll find anywhere.
“The layout of the land is ideal,” Fenech said as a venue for the Women’s Open. “It’s not over the top. Getting strong courses like this in the rotation where the ladies can show their talents (is needed more). We have a course here that excites them to play it.”
Betsie Valley is the original course at Crystal Mountain. It’s gone through some wonderful renovations the past several years with tree removal, expanded irrigation and other design feature adjustments to make it a great course where beginners and advanced players alike can enjoy a great round of golf.
Fenech really enjoys the way the changes have enhanced the entire golf experience.
“When we can better control (water on) all the different zones and those things, it takes all the course aesthetics through the roof,” he said. “We’ve done some thinning out (of trees) and getting the sand back in play at Mountain Ridge has brought a new feel to the property – almost Pinehursty. The property has gone through some nice modernization stages.”
When it’s time to improve your golf game, Crystal Mountain’s 10-acre Learning Center should exceed your needs. There’s a multi-tiered chipping area with bunkers, large putting green, and plenty of stalls to swing away on the driving range. Private and group instruction is provided by several of the most experienced Class-A PGA teaching pros in America. New things on the docket for 2025 include clinics on Sunday Morning plus new ideas being developed for Junior Golf Camps.
Crystal Mountain Onsite Family Fun with Great Accommodations
It’s easy to stay at Crystal Mountain for several days, as there is a wide variety of lodging options to fit any family or group’s needs. Whether you’re looking for a hotel suite for two, a 2-3-bedroom cottage, or a Mountain Top townhome that sleeps up to 10 people, the accommodations feel better than home away from home. I have observed that Crystal continues to keep the lodging units up-to-date and outfitted with modern amenities. Most recently, the Hamlet Hotel rooms have received a fresh look with new furniture, flooring, and accessories.
While you don’t have to stay overnight at Crystal to play at Crystal, there are plenty of Stay & Play package options. One example is 36 holes of championship golf on Betsie Valley and Mountain Ridge, with a savings of up to 30 percent off tee times when booking select dates. Plus, Juniors golfing at Crystal Mountain save up to half off on tee times – and they golf for free at Twilight with a paid adult.
My favorite summer activity at Crystal, besides golf, is the new (2024) Crystal Coaster Alpine Slide – the only dual alpine slide in Michigan. It’s like a luge track, but without the ice and snow, complete with high-banked turns, tunnels, and dips. Riders sit up straight on the sled outfitted with wheels, and riders utilize a hand brake to adjust their speed. Riders must take the Loki chairlift up the mountain to the start line, where they’ll take in incredible views before flying down one of two tracks. Two parallel runs twist down 1,600 feet to the bottom of the ski hill.
Another newer feature near the Loki Quad Chairlift and Mountain Adventure Zone, is the Crystal Bungee Trampoline. Four jumpers are strapped in individually and are free to bounce 20 feet into the air off the trampoline. Late in the day, there are chair lift rides to the top of the mountain to watch magnificent sunsets to the west, followed by evening bonfires in the heart of the village in Barr Park. Sometimes you’ll even catch the remnants of live music coming from the Level 4 Lounge as you sit around the fire or play a yard game.
Crystal’s outdoor pool and water playground at the Park at Water’s Edge is designed with a wading area for the littlest tikes, water sports for the older kids, and a large area for peaceful lap swimming in the morning. The new poolside private cabana rentals are a nice touch, too, offering shade, table and chairs and other deck furniture. Many times, this outdoor water oasis becomes an all-day affair.
Offsite Options
The previously mentioned Sleeping Bear Dunes is a huge, worldwide attraction and an excellent half-day trip not far at all from Crystal Mountain. And, of course, there are the natural wonders of Northern Michigan to be explored up close via canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and fishing.
Regarding the latter and its inspired name from fishing, Michigan’s first farm-to-table distillery is called Iron Fish Distillery. Much of what they do was developed by their location near the Betsie River and the steelhead fish that run through it. The company of family members who reclaimed the decades of unused farmland are stewards of their land and solid neighbors of Crystal Mountain that many ski and golf enthusiasts enjoy during their visit to Crystal.
More than 100,000 visitors stop in each year. Iron Fish also sources bourbon for finishing in barrels from around the world. To date, its inventory of barrel-aged spirits exceeds 2,400 barrels, consisting of carefully sourced farm-barrel finished whiskies and estate whiskies distilled from grain grown on the farm and from nearby farms.
